Projectile.



No. 67l,877. Patented Apr. 9, I901.

W. F. EOLE.

PROJECTILE.

(Application filed Oct. 13, 1900.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES //v VENTOH X00. C026. W Y 41444427 FFICE.

WILLIAM FRANKLIN COLE, OF WACO, TEXAS.

PROJECTILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 6'71 ,877, dated April9, 1901.

' Application filed October 13, 1900. Serial No. 32,953. (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM FRANKLIN COLE, residing at Waco, in thecounty of Mo- Lennan and State of Texas, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Projectiles, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of my invention to provide an improved projectile forguns and ordnance of variousclasses and bores. It is adapted to be usedonly in a gun having an elliptical bore, since this form has advantageswhich are of much importance-that is to say, such guns, beingpractically smooth bores, their life or durability is much greater'thanthat of rifled guns, yet they have the same-advantage as the latter inrespect to imparting rotation to the projectile, whereby a flattrajectory is obtained.

My projectile is elliptical in cross-section throughout the length ofits body and is also twisted to conform to the bore of the gun. Thefront portion of the body is likewise tapered toward the point, which isconstructed with a thin edge having a twist or reverse curve; With thisform of projectile the ra pidity of rotation is maintained and evenincreased in flight, while the resistance and friction of the air isreduced to a minimum. Theresult is a high velocity, great range, andaccuracy of flight.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure- 1 is a side View of my im'provedprojectile. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view. Fig. 3 is a cross-section online 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a crosssection on line 4 4, Fig. 1. Fig. 5is a front end view. Fig. 6 is a view of the side oppo- 'site that shownin Fig. 1.

The chief characteristics of form or sha e of my projectile are asfollows: The 0055 of the projectile is elliptical in cross-sectionthroughout its length and also slightly twisted. The major and minoraxes of the ellipse are the same or uniform in the base portion a, whilethey are gradually shortened in the front portion 1), since the latteris tapered on all sides. Thus the projectile may be con sidered ashaving one general characteristicnamely, ellipticity and a uniformtwist-and is additionally distinguished by difierence of the ellipse inthe body portion a b, while the point a is likewise twisted,corresponding to the special shape of said body. The details are asfollows: In the base a, which may be considered as including one-half ofthe length of the projectile, the major and minor axes of the ellipseremain the same throughout, but the front portion b,which is includedbetween the base a' and point 0, is tapered throughout, so that themajor and minor axes are gradually shortened. Thus the major axis of theellipse is gradually inclined more and more from the base end to thepoint, as illustrated by shade-lines and also by the line 01,representing the major axis in Fig. 4. The point 0 has the general formof awedge or drill point, its broad sides forming obtuse angles with thebroader sides of front part b, as shown. The said wedge-point cis,however, irregular, its thin edge having a reverse or S-shaped curve(see Fig. 5) and its broad sides being so beveled as to impart a twistcorresponding to that of the body a b of the projectile. This shape ofthe point and the taper of the front portion enable the projectile tocleave or penetrate the air with minimum friction and resistance,besides maintaining and even increasing for a time the rotation of theprojectile. Thus great accuracy, high velocity, and a very flattrajectory are obtained with a given charge of explosive. It is to beunderstood that the uniform elliptical and twisted portion a of theprojectile will duly lit the elliptical and twisted bore of the gun,(not shown,) and thus serve to guide the projectile when beingdischarged; but the irregularly-elliptical front portion 1), owing toitstaper, will not come in contact with the sides of the bore.

Having thus described myinvention, wha I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patout, is

As an improved article of manufacture,the herein-described projectilefor smooth-bore guns, whose bodyis twisted spirally, and also ellipticalin cross-section, throughout its length, the majorand minor axes ofallcrosssections of the base portion a, being uniform in length, and thefront portion b tapered, and the point 0 having a twist or reversecurve, as shown and'described.

WILLIAM FRANKLIN COLE.

Witnesses:

AMOS W. HART, SOLON O. KEMON.

